Midsummer Night's Mayhem by Lauren Quick Read Free Book Online Page B

“Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
    “No, thanks. Got to stay focused. Caffeine makes me jittery. I’m high-strung enough as is.” Her wand was clutched in her hand at the ready.
    “How’s the investigation going?” Clover asked. “Any news you can share?”
    “I wanted to let you know the sheriff has put me on point, and I’ll be heading up the investigation for now under his supervision, of course.” A barely suppressed smile played on her lips.
    “Is this a promotion?”
    “In a way. I’ve finished all my courses and done my hours of assistance work. Now I need to be tested, and since I was the first witch on the scene it makes sense. The sheriff feels I’m ready. But don’t worry, he’ll be watching me like a hawk.”
    “I’m not worried. You’ll be great.” And obsessively diligent, Clover thought. Just what she needed: a by-the-book sheriff and an ambitious assistant deputy trying to prove herself by snooping around her house. She sighed. This wasn’t about her; it was about finding Oliver’s killer— the lurking darkness, as Rosemary called it. “We haven’t had a murder in the Meadowlands for decades. Everyone’s pretty spooked.”
    “Oh, we know. Messages have been flooding the station since yesterday. You should also know that Sheriff Gardener has given me three days to investigate everyone at the party until he uses the warrant .” She rested her hand on her cocked hip. “You got lucky.”
    “That’s a relief for now, I guess.” The knot in her stomach loosened, slightly. The reprieve gave her a few days at least. “What made him change his mind?”
    “Strategy. With no clear motive, you aren’t the prime suspect. We’re focusing on more pertinent evidence.” She squared her shoulders. “But trust me, he will serve the warrant. So whatever secret you have, you’d better be prepared to share it.”
    “Not if I can help it,” Clover said under her breath and took a gulp of coffee.
    “What was that?” Juniper asked with a good-natured smirk.
    “I said it’s kind of him to give me extra time. I know I’m pushing him, but what’s in my closet won’t help your investigation.”
    “Actually, I think it’s the logical thing to do, since we have so many suspects to check out from the party. Plus, the sheriff has a soft spot for your sister, and deep down he doesn’t think you’re a murderer, but rules are rules. In his eyes, you’re a suspect until you aren’t.”
    Clover walked down the back steps, before she realized the obvious. “If you’re supposed to be interviewing suspects from the party, what are you doing in my yard this morning?”
    “Very observant. I came to get a guest list, which Derek already told me is practically the whole town.”
    Strange that Juniper came all this way for a guest list, which she could have sent a messenger to pick up. “He’s right. Is that all you came for?” Clover probed. “That doesn’t answer why you’re in my yard this morning after all the work you and your team did yesterday.”
    Juniper stiffened. “I really can’t talk specifics about the investigation.”
    Clover considered the investigation from the deputy’s perspective. Once Juniper knew the cause of death, she’d probably need to search for evidence to support the cause—like a weapon. What evidence could be still in the yard? Had they missed something, or had something changed?
    “Are you looking for a specific kind of weapon?” she asked, realizing it was probably futile and it was, since Juniper shook her head, lips sealed. Clover sensed she was on the right track through, and ideas bounced around her mind.
    Oliver hadn’t been physically hurt that she could tell, so the weapon wasn’t an obvious one. The she remembered the swab of his mouth and his glowing lips. “He ingested something, right?” Clover eyed Juniper relentlessly, trying to get a response. Her thoughts raced, puzzle pieces floating into place. Then suddenly the murder weapon